Princeton police blotter: Marijuana possession, DWIs, warrants

After a motor vehicle stop for a cell phone violation at about 10 p.m. Jan. 13 on Mercer Street, a 17-year-old girl was found to be in possession of marijuana under 50 grams and drug paraphernalia. She was taken into custody and transported to police headquarters, where she was processed and released to a guardian.

After a motor vehicle stop for failure to signal a turn on Hamilton Avenue on Jan. 15, a 50-year-old Elizabeth man was found to have an active warrant for his arrest. The warrant was issued by the Elizabeth Township Municipal Court for $100. The man was placed under arrest and transported to police headquarters, where he was processed and later released.

A 28-year-old Princeton resident came to police headquarters on Jan. 13 and turned herself in for an active warrant that had been issued by the Princeton Municipal Court in the amount of $372. She was processed and released after posting the bail.

A random license plate review was conducted on a Honda Accord that was traveling on Stanworth Lane just before 11 p.m. on Jan. 14. The inquiry revealed that the driver, a 33-year-old Belleville resident, had an active warrant for his arrest that had been issued by the Bloomfield Municipal Court for $114. He was placed under arrest and transported to police headquarters, where he was processed and later released.

After a motor vehicle stop on Lincoln Court for a cellphone violation at about 2 p.m. on Jan. 14, a 28-year-old Philadelphia resident allegedly was found to be in possession of marijuana under 50 grams, suspected cocaine and drug paraphernalia. Brandon Foley was placed under arrest and transported to police headquarters, where he was processed, charged and released.

After a motor vehicle stop for speeding on Elm Road on Jan. 14, a 19-year-old Dayton resident was found to have an active warrant for his arrest that was issued by the East Windsor Municipal Court in the amount of $164. He was placed under arrest and transported to police headquarters, where he was processed and released after posting bail.

After a motor vehicle stop on Alexander Street for failure to maintain a lane just after midnight on Jan. 14, a Hamilton man was placed under arrest for allegedly driving while intoxicated. Franklin Calle-Peralta, 30, was transported to police headquarters, where he was processed and later released. Calle-Peralta was charged with DWI, DWI in a school zone, failure to keep right and other related offenses.

A random license plate check was conducted on a Nissan Altima that was traveling on Stockton Street at about 2 a.m. on Jan. 15. The inquiry revealed that the registered owner of the vehicle, a Trenton resident, had a warrant for his arrest that had been issued by the Ewing Twp Municipal Court in the amount of $150. The vehicle was stopped on Rosedale Road and the driver, Dayquan McLaine, 22, was placed under arrest. A subsequent search revealed that Mclaine was in possession of marijuana under 50 grams and possession of a controlled and dangerous substance, Xanax. He was transported to police headquarters where he was processed and issued complaint summonses. He was released with a pending court date.

After a motor vehicle stop for having passenger license plates on a commercial vehicle on Jan. 12 at 10 a.m., a West Windsor man was allegedly found to be in possession of marijuana under 50 grams, police said. Nathan Safir, 27, placed under arrest and transported to police headquarters. Safir was processed and charged with possession of marijuana and given a date to appear in court.

After a motor vehicle stop for an improper u-turn on Nassau Street just before 11 p.m. on Jan. 12, A Jersey City man was found to have an active warrant for his arrest. The warrant was issued by the Jersey City Municipal Court in the amount of $100. The man was placed under arrest and transported to police headquarters where he was processed and later released after posting bail.

After a motor vehicle stop for failure to use a hands-free device on State Road, a Browns Mills man was found to be in possession of a controlled and dangerous substance, Clonazepam. Frank Summers, 29, was placed under arrest and transported to police headquarters, where he was processed and later released with a summons and pending court date.

7 comments

Finally! I knew eventually I’d agree with you about something. Anyhow, this rash of pot busts (there have been a ton the last few reports) suggests to me that the police may be getting a little “search happy.” While I don’t know the specifics of each incident, there seems to be a pattern of weed (and prescription drugs) turning up in otherwise unrelated traffic stops. A cynic might suspect that the PD has upped the number of so-called “pretext stops” they do, and are perhaps being a little loose with their idea of probable cause. Perhaps all these people are either 1) careless enough to have pot or paraphernalia visible in the vehicle, or 2) careless enough to smoke it in the car with the windows up, creating a lasting, detectable, odor, or 3) is dumb enough to answer questions about drugs in the car or 4) naive enough to consent to a search. But somehow, I kind of doubt it. I think something’s up.

Also, I remember that we were a “sanctuary” city but then the term was changed after Mr Trump announced the cut of federal money to the so called sanctuary cities. The mayor clarified it, Princeton belongs to some sort of association of cities that are safe havens to undocumented immigrants but not officially a sanctuary city. We don’t want to lose the federal money and that is ok. We pay high taxes, it is becoming impossible for elderly and middle class people to live here, our schools are overcrowded and PPS and PCS are fighting and suing; we need all the money we can get.
So, we are not a sanctuary city, and until pot is legal in NJ, it is what it is, no matter if we like it or not.

Though if the amount is for personal use, I would say let it go; on the other hand, where do we draw the line? People should be a little smarter when driving, if they are under the influence, sorry…if the stop reason is different, perhaps… but until is not legal in the state, I don’t think that we have any say.

If we can decree ourselves a sanctuary city, can we decree ourselves non-enforcers of marijuana possession laws too? I’m not saying that DWIs should be tolerated – far from it. But this seems like a sub-optimal use of law enforcement resources, especially given the current climate of legalization spreading throughout the country.